The Disaster Package
by we-are-floating-bubbles
Summary: Kim is sick of it. Sick of being ignored by her long time crush, Jack. Sick of being taken for granted by her mother and twin sister, Claire, in a false pursuit of beauty. The time has come for the girls with the great personality to step out of the corner and into the limelight. Watch out, Seaford. Kim Crawford is in the beauty game, and she's in it to win it.
1. Pageants & Why I Do Them

I seriously think that I should get an award for self-pity.

My name is Kim Crawford. I've been living in the shadow of my twin sister since I was born. Literally. I was born two minutes before Claire, but my parents were so excited about the other baby that they just gave me to one of the nurses. When Claire finally reared out her beautiful head, my parents welcomed her with open arms and nearly forgot me until the nurse that was holding me asked them what they wanted to name me. It's a sad existence I live.

How I know this? That nurse that first held me is my next door neighbor, Joan. Joan is really nice and she means the best, but she's brutally honest.

Another thing I should receive an award for? Going to the most pageants and not being a contestant.

While I'm wearing gaudy glittery shirts that say, "CLAIRE ROCKS!" and counting the ceiling tiles, she sashays down the miniature runway, long pale red hair flowing behind her, wide white smile fixed on her face.

Oh, I'm not jealous. Far from that. Just the sexist-ness of the pageants make me want to gag. I'm just getting really sick of having to be the always supportive sister, whilst my mother is screaming a me to _HURRY UP AND FINISH FIXING THE DAMN DRESS._

My mother. She's the reason I'm in this mess.

Claire has always been the apple of my mother's eye. I've just been the helper, the one with the portable sewing machine, ready to do any repairs to the fluffy feathery dresses that Claire loves wear. I'm what people call, "Not pageant material."

But that's okay with me. Why? Because of the person sitting next to me. The boy.

There's always a boy, isn't there?

Jack _freaking_ Brewer.

But there's always another girl, right?

Donna _fucking_ Tobin. Who happens to be competing against my sister.

"I have to say," he turns to me and says. "The purple feathers really bring out Claire's eyes."

I shoot him a disgusted look. "If you break up with Donna and hook up with my sister, I will beat you with a club."

"I think I can defend myself just fine," he replied, eyes fixed on the stage again. Donna's doing the catwalk.

I met Jack when he moved into Seaford in seventh grade. We became best friends instantly, doing everything together. That included joining the Bobby Wasabi Dojo in the mall. After five years, we are both black belts, him a third degree and me still a first degree.

It was in nineth grade that I realized that, _wow_, Jack grew up to be really good looking. Bam, first crush.

But, I'm the kind of girl that every guy wants to be friends with, but no guy wants to ask out. The girls with the great personality. He's just not into me. Throw in Donna Tobin and he's untouchable.

I shake my head and concentrate on the pageant. Or try to anyway. I can't help but glance at him every few seconds.

I suddenly notice that the seat on my right is empty. Where'd my mother go?

I hastily said a goodbye to Jack. I have to go find my mother something goes wrong.

I find her stomping over to me. She has grabbed Claire's wrist and is practically dragging her towards me.

"Get in the Car, Kim." she tells me with a angry scowl on her face. "We're leaving early."

Something went wrong.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It and/or Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality. **

Hey guys! So recently I read a really good book called Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg and was totally inspired to write this. When I got a fanfiction, I thought I would only write one-shots, but I have a lot of faith for this one. Some extra info:

Claire is Kim's twin in this story. They aren't identical.

Jack is with Donna.

Kim has a little brother. You'll meet him later.

...And I guess that's all for now. See you later lovelies! Don't forget to review. c:


	2. Claire & Why She's a World Class Byotch

I was seriously regretting calling shotgun. Mother was rambling again.

"Giving Claire honorary mention, HAH!" she muttered, honking at a black car that had done absolutely nothing wrong. "She was much prettier than the girls there, wasn't she Kim?" She raised an eyebrow at me, telling me that if I answered with anything a else than what she wanted to hear, I would not live to see another day.

"Uh-huh," I lied. Claire is really pretty, no lie. But some of the girls there were absolutely stunning, and had twice the amount of talent Claire did. Honestly, I'm a little surprised Claire even got honorary mention.

But I can't tell them any of that, unless I want them to rip my head off. Claire's already acting bratty enough.

"Kimmy," she whined.

"Clementine," I whined back. She winced. Claire hated her full name almost as much as I hated mine: Kimberly.

"My crown's broken. Fix it." she demanded.

"What's the magic word?" She was seriously acting like a seven year old.

"Kim," Mother warned. "I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm. Just fix Claire's crown."

I sighed. "Give it here," I told Claire. I then dug through my large tote bag, which contained absolutely everything needed for a pageant princess (to be carried by her sister), in search of a sewing needle and thread. There it was, almost lost underneath the sea of feathers and sequins.

I studied the crown and scoffed. It was made of cheap plastic and silver spray paint, the kind you can get at Wal-Mart for $1.60. The cost to get into the stupid pageant nearly a thousand dollars. No wonder it broke right after it was placed on Claire's delicate head. Her hair was so full of hairspray I wouldn't be surprised if it could bend an iron rod.

Neatly, I held the two strips of fabric on the broken pieces and starting sewing them together. It wouldn't take long, but I could tell Claire was getting impatient. Sure enough, I was almost through when she started whining again.

"I want it back," she grumbled. "NOW."

"Just hold on," I replied. "Just this last bit."

"GIVE IT TO ME!" she screamed. "I WANT IT!"

"KIMBERLY," Mother shouted. "GIVE THE CROWN TO CLAIRE NOW."

"OKAY!" I hollered, all but throwing the crown into Claire's outstetched hands. "CHRIST."

My hands go to my forehead and massage my temple. I wish things could change. Things wouldn't be about Claire all the time. I went to my favorite daydream, the one in which my dad didn't leave and we were still one, average sized, happy family. And Claire wasn't the only child to my Mother again. Of course, that'll never happen.

I was interrupted by Claire wailing again. "Mother? I want some ice cream."

"Sure thing, darling." she replied with a smile. "We'll stop at Braum's on the way home."

"But I have to get to work," I protested.

Mother turned to me, the stern look back on on her face. "You can get to work _after_ we get some ice cream for Claire."

See what I mean?

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It and/or Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality.**

Oh my God. You guys. I really didn't expect such a positive response. In fact, I was so happy thanks to the people who said they liked it that I went straight onto word and starting writing the second chapter right away. I am typing this at 1 AM (no regrets nope none at all).

Sadly, I probably won't update again until after my vacation my family and I are going to Washington D.C. 'MURICA BITCHES.

I am so sorry about that. I think I'm delirious from lack of sleep, bleh. So, no more updates for two weeks.

Good night! I love you all! Don't forget to review! c:


	3. Eddie & What is Donna Tobin Doing Here?

There's something oddly comforting about the silence in a graveyard.

Seaford Memorial is a huge estate. This place was actually smaller, but the Taco Bell next to it shut down and the owner of this place bought up the land. Since Eddie was one of the newer ones at the time, the was buried there. I know if he were still alive now, he would have laughed at that, pointed to his belly, and said "That's where I belong."

I pick my way through the graves. The thing about Seaford Memorial is that it can only be depressing if you want it to be. For example, If you come for a funeral service, then it's depressing. But since people in Seaford don't die everyday, the place is actually quite pretty. There are wildflower littering the grass, and small children tie balloons on the tombstones of the one they love.

I walk toward's Eddies burial place. "Hey man! I brought you something." I take out the daisies i brought for him and place it on the ground next to him.

"I know Mother and Claire haven't been here in a while." I said cheerfully. Was it weird that I feel more comfortable talking to my deceased brother than i do with my living family members? "I was hoping they would considering that you're there son and sister, but I guess not. Don't worry buddy. I haven't forgotten about you, even if they have."

Eddie was me and Claire's younger brother by four years. He died last year due to femoral cancer. Claire and I cried for days, and dad did too (he came to Seaford for the funeral), but Mother was inconsolable. Part of the reason she started making Claire do these pageants is to take her mind off of Eddie's death.

Eddie was adopted. His real mom was 17 when she gave birth to him, and almost immediately after that she put him into the Seaford orphanage. Claire met him first because she volunteers there (she does do some of the stuff she says on stage) and she begged and pleaded about adopting him. While Mother and Dad, who hadn't left yet, were hesitant, they quickly fell in love with him. He had and charming demeanor, and he never gave up. When we found out about his cancer, we were desperate to at least prolong his life. But he never stopped being happy. He died last year, age 12, and I miss him to bits and pieces. I come here every other day to say hi to him.

After chit-chatting a bit, I say goodbye. When I turn around, I see a girl, around my age, kneeling at a grave. Her shoulders shake in silent sobs. I can't see her face, as she's covered it up with her hands, but I'd recognize that curly light brown hair anywhere.

"Donna?"

She looks up and smiles ruefully. "Oh. Hello..."

"Kim."

"Sorry. Hey Kim."

I move closer to her. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

She gets up and dusts the dirt off of her neon green jeans. "I was just asking my dad for advice."

I nod, but I don't say anything.

"You don't thinks that's weird," she askes warily. "Do you?"

"What? No, no! I come here to talk to my late brother all the time."

She smiles and turns back to her dad. While she silently talks to her dad, I take a better look at her. I'm struck by how pretty she is. Her face is free of makeup and she's wearing fashionable clothes, black tank top tucked into green jeans, a gold studded black belt around her waist. The look is completed by gold sandals.

I looked sorrowfully at my own clothes. CLAIRE ROCKS! t-shirt, baggy jeans, old sneakers. Is it any wonder why Jack's dating Donna instead of me?

I'm broken out of my thoughts when Donna starts talking again. "My dad. He had leukemia."

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, I want to tell you." She takes a deep breath and continues."Leukemia runs in the family. My dad had it. My grandfather has it. There's a 70% chance I'll get it too. My grandfather's in the hospital right now. He's a fighter, but this is one battle that he can't win. The doctor said he has only six days to live."

"What about chemo?" I ask.

"He's been on chemotherapy for a month. It's not really helping. My grandfather's my guardian here in Seaford. My mom was in the marines and went MIA and my dad... well, you know. Once he passes, I'll be leaving Seaford and moving to Maine to live with my aunt." She replied sadly.

I was stunned. While most of me was mournful at Donna's leaving, there was a tiny, mean part of my brain that was doing the happy dance. If Donna's leaving, then maybe I have a chance with Jack!

I mentally slapped myself. Pull yourself together, girl! This is not how you should be acting when someone's grandfather is dying!

"Donna, Seaford High won't be the same without you." I tell her, truthfully.

She smiles, and surprises me by giving me a hug. "Thanks, Kim. You're a true friend. I'm sorry I didn't take the time to get to know you. You seem like a great girl."

She pulls away, waves goodbye, and walks out the Memorial.

Maybe there's more than meets the eye of this pageant princess.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It and/or Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality.**

Helloooo, my lovelies! How are you all doing today? I'm doing splendid, on account of me being back home and updating. Sorry for the long wait. So, I put some extra effort into it, and made this longer than usual! Thanks for sticking with this story, and sorry if it's morbid, or slightly depressing. I love you all and I will get started on the next chapter very soon!

Don't forget to review! c:


	4. Carbs & The Guys

Any hope I'd had of the other popular people having souls flew out the window the second Kira Montgomery and Heather Clarke walked into "Swoon".

"Do you have this in a size zero?" Kira said loudly. Typical Kira. She's always boasting about her slimmer-than-slim figure. She thrusts the miniskirt into my hands. "This just won't do."

I so desperately want to roll my eyes, but if i'm rude to one more customer, I'll get fired. Seaford Mall doesn't have very many jobs that hire teens, and I need this job if I plan on going to college.

Besides, I kind of like this job. Swoon is a bit of a high class boutique, but once a week the owners of the place let workers choose one item to take home with them. I usually decline the offer. The pay here, though minimum wage, is better than most, and it's not the busiest place in the mall, so I usually have a bit of free time to goof off.

And... I'll admit it. It's close to where all of the guys have their jobs. Jack works at the dojo, Milton at Captain Corndog, Brody at Bold Beats the music store, and Jerry at Falafel Phil's. If those guys are close to me, then everything will be okay.

I walk into the back room and search for a slightly smaller skirt than the one I'm holding. There it is, almost disappearing in between the folds of another dress. I snatch it up and head on back to where Kira and Heather are criticizing another outfit.

"Oh there it is," she say's absentmindedly. "Let's go the changing rooms, Heather."

Heather nods and follows her like a lost puppy. It's kind of sad.

Something that I find cool about Swoon's customer service is that you can choose the clothes you want to buy, change into them, and walk out wearing what you just bought. Kira and Heather are obviously using this to their full advantage. They come out decked head to toe in Swoon Clothes.

I find myself studying their clothing choices. Kira's wearing a gray and black sweater with the denim miniskirt, gray converse high-tops, and to top it off, a necklace with a sapphire heart. Heather's is more girly. She's wearing a white and red floral print dress, paired with a pink and white cardigan and pink wedges.

I shake my head. What am I doing? I have to get back to work. I walk up to them and ask if these are their final purchases.

"Yeah," Kira replies. "I would ask for your opinion, but... you know." She gestures to my outfit.

I so badly want to punch her, but I keep reminding myself that this is all for college, this is all so you can go to college.

I stiffly walk to the cash registers and ring them up. "That'll be $78.14, thanks. Who's paying?"

"Heather is." Kira responds immediately. Heather doesn't argue. She silently gives me four $20 bills. I raise my eyebrows. Apparently, poverty is okay as long as you're popular.

"$1.86 is your change," I say.

"Keep it," Kira tells me. "Maybe you can get some better clothes with that."

I grit my teeth and offer the money to Heather. She just shakes her head.

Unbelievable, I think. I would rather die than lose my dignity like that. I put the money in the cash register and make a note to tell my manager about the extra money.

"Please come back anytime," I tell them as they make their way out of the store. Sarcasm detected.

I take a few minutes just to calm my anger. I grab for my phone and furiously tap out a text to Milton, Jerry, Brody, and Jack.

"Paula!" I scream at my coworker. "I'm going on my lunch break."

"Make it quick!"

"Don't count on it," I mutter under my breathe.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

I flop my face onto the table. "I FUCKING HATE KIRA MONTGOMERY."

My words are muffled my the furniture, but I think they get the drift.

"And how was your day, Miss Crawford?" Milton asks patronizingly.

I raise my head and sit up straight. "Milton, I will tear off your legs, surgically reattach them, then tear them off again." He audibly gulps.

Jack rubs my shoulders and I feel goosebumps erupt where his fingers touched me. I bite back a moan. "Hey, it's okay. Just let it all out."

I shake off his hands for fear of making an awkward noise. "I had the pleasure of helping Kira Montgomery and Heather Clarke's daily shopping spree."

"Yeesh," Brody winces. He's the new kid in our group. He's one of those kids that are attractive enough to be in the popular group, but decided not to. When he joined the Bobby Wasabi Dojo, he became one of the guys. Milton, Jerry, Jack, and I have known each other since seventh grade and I can honestly say that without them I would have committed homicide a long time ago. They can calm me down in one of my worst rage fits.

But of course just when I think I've calmed down some more, in walks Kira and Heather _once again_.

"Hello everyone," Kira announces in a superior voice. "Hey, Brody..."

Kira's had a crush on Brody since he moved here to Seaford in 10th grade. It's kind of awkward since when we're with Brody, she's nice to the point of ridiculousness, but when Brody's not with us, Milton, Jerry and I have to deal with the Queen Bitch. Actually no, it's kind of amusing.

Brody obviously doesn't share the same feelings. "Don't you have a boyfriend, Kira?"

Her smile shrinks a bit, and I resist the urge to laugh aloud. Jerry snickers though.

She regains her composure and smile at Jerry and me. "So what are you guys doing?"

"Eating." Jerry says monotonously.

"What are you eating?"

"Fries," I answer.

Her face changes to one of disgust. "How can you eat something with so many carbs?!"

"With my mouth."

"Aren't you afraid of getting fat?"

I'm pretty sure my face is an are-you-kidding-me face. "Kira, eating a couple of fries isn't going to make me fat." I say slowly

She rolls her eyes and stomps away. "A tomboy like you wouldn't understand!" she throws back.

Good grief.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It.**

Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter! I'm trying to update every wednesday but school gonna start in a couple of weeks so I'm not sure how things will hold up.

I forgot to tell you guys this last time but on my profile I have links to the outfits the characters are wearing in Polyvore. Go check it out!

Um... oh yeah! I have a song suggestion for you guys. I've basically been playing this on repeat when I was writing. It's Vegabond by Wolfmother. Listen to it! It's a great song.

And that's about it. Oh wait. Just putting it out there but Kira Montgomery is my OC. Not based on anyone in real life or in the show.

Love you guys!


	5. Girlfriends & How to be Popular

I tell Paula that I can't make it for another hour or so. I know that that's a lot of money I'm going to be losing, but I think everyone deserves a time off once in a while.

Jack and Brody left to get back to work, but Milton and Jerry's shifts ended, so they're walking around the mall with me.

"So," I say to Jerry. "How's it going with your Mika?"

A couple weeks ago, Jerry surprised everyone by announcing that he had a girlfriend. We all thought he was joking until he actually brought Mika along with him for lunch one day. Apparently, Mika was his boss Phil's niece and had been part of a foreign exchange program. She would be here in Seaford for the rest of high school and if she wanted, she could become an official immigrant (and later on citizen) and stay here for the rest of her life.

When we first say Mika, we were all kind of shocked. Jerry's a nice guy and everything, but girls like Mika didn't usually go for guys like Jerry. Coppery curls framing her petite face, wide blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines, cute accent. She was perfect material for the popular people. But Mika was nice, and that changed everything. All of us really liked her and I don't think I've ever seen Jerry so happy.

"How about you Milton?" I asked, edging closer to the redhead. "Any girls in your life?"

He chuckles, kind of sadly. "Nah. Most of the girls are popular people and the rest of the girls aren't my type. Besides, I'm just some random nerd with no life."

"Aw, come on," I say, trying to cheer him up. "Surely there's one girl that's okay. Besides the truly spectacular and awesome me."

"Well," he mumbles. "There is this one girl. She's one of the Populars though, so I don't know what to think of that."

"Name?" I question.

"Julie Peterson," He says.

"Bro," Jerry says, butting into the conversation. "She's probably one of the only popular nerd in the school. Man, you're whipped."

"Jerry," I ask, slightly amused. "Don't you have a girlfriend to text?"

"Oh right. Good idea, Kim. You know, it's almost our One Month Anniversary. I should get her something."

Jerry said more, but by now he was talking to himself more than he was talking to us. I was busy comforting a distressed Milton.

"Who knows!" I say. "Maybe she might not be so bad. I mean if I threw on some makeup and wore better clothes, I'd probably still be nice!"

Milton's entire face lights up. "That's it! That's how I can get Julie to be my girlfriend! Kim, you have to put on some makeup and wear better clothes. Then, when you become a Popular, you can talk to Julie for me and convince her that I'm not some lowlife slug."

"Yeah, it's great!" I smile enthusiastically. "Except for two things. One: I'm not doing it and Two: What if I'm not pretty even without the makeup and clothes."

"Oh come on Kim!" He replies. "You will be pretty, just trust me. Basically all you have to work on by yourself is your manners."

"What's wrong with my manners?"

"Well," Milton hesitates. "The Populars don't really curse and you... do."

"Excuse you!" I say, mildly offended. "I am an intelligent, eloquent, well-mannered young woman who just happens to say 'fuck' a lot."

"Just come over later today. Maybe around five'ish." He offers. I hesitate, then finally take it.

"I'm only doing this for you, Milton. If things don't work out, I'm blaming you."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

I wave to the guys and walk back into Swoon. My manager is standing outside, which is something you don't see very often. He's usually holed up in his office.

"Ah, Kim," he says, beckoning me over to him. "I'm closing the shop early today, so you'll get your paycheck right now. And as you know, I'm giving out clothes to my employees but if you don't want it, I will be okay with that."

"Actually, Mr. Taylor," I reply, thinking of Milton's proposal. "I was wondering if I could get something from the store this week. I mean, I turned down your generous offer a long time ago, but I think it may be time to accept it."

He stays silent for a few seconds, and I wonder if I've somehow offended him before he burst into a hearty laugh.

"Of course, Kim! It's good to see you lighten up. Go ahead!"

I walking in and look for something me-ish. There's nothing!

I'm about to give up hope when I spot it. A pair of floral print shorts. They're smaller than the basketball shorts I usually wear-much smaller- but they're undeniably pretty.

I grab it and hope that whatever Milton's got me ensnared in won't fail. The last thing I need in high school is to be even more unpopular than I already am.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It.**

Sorry for the short chapter, guys. I wasn't getting any inspiration. Plus, I think I might have a fever. Urg...

As usual, don't forget to review!


	6. Car Rides & Makeovers

I grab my cell phone and quickly call Mom. The phone rings on, but she doesn't pick up. I shrug and stuff the phone in my pocket. Time to go over to Milton's, I guess.

I walk over to my green pick-up truck. I got that truck as a sixteenth birthday present from Dad. Apparently, he remembered that I've always wanted a pickup truck because they're tough, and can go on all terrain. Kind of like what I want to be. Not the all terrain part, the gutsy and tough thing.

I got in and set the pair of short on the passenger seat. I was about to start the car when something caught my eye. I fluffy-looking mop of brown hair.

I resist the urge to blush when he signaled for me to stop the car. I unlocked the passenger side door and he climbed in.

"Sorry," he wheezed, panting after his run. "My car got a flat. Can I hitch a ride?"

"Yeah, sure." I say, making sure that my voice was level. Oh, God. Since when did I become such a pussy? He's just a guy. A really handsome guy, who's sitting in my truck and thinks I'm cool...STOP IT KIM.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" I ask. There. My voice is calm and I'm pretty sure I don't look like tomato. Hopefully.

"Wherever you're going, I guess." He answers. "No one's at home right now, and Donna's visiting her grandfather."

"I'm going over to Milton's, so I guess we can both go there."

"Perfect." He states. I start the engine and drive onto the highway. Milton's house is about 15 minutes from here so, the highway was the best way to go.

After a few minutes of silence, I start a conversation. "You know why I'm going to Milton's?"

He turns to look at me. "I was about to ask you, actually. Why are you going to Milton's?"

"So he can make me pretty enough to be a popular?"

"Why are you going to be a popular?"

"So I can hook up Milton and a chick named Julie."

He raises an eyebrow and pauses for a couple seconds before saying, "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you are really pretty."

I don't know how to respond to that, except have a mini-coronary. "Uh, thanks."

He nods, and goes back to staring through the window.

The rest of the ride is made in silence. I don't know what Jack's thinking, but I know I'm grinning like a mad man in my head. HE TOLD ME I WAS PRETTY. YOU WOULD DO THE SAME.

I park in Milton's driveway. Jack gets up and walks to the door. I'm not sure what to make of this behavior. It's usually never this awkward between us, even when I started getting a crush on him. I always managed to make things not awkward between us.

Oh well. I grab the shorts, get out, and lock the truck. I walk up to Milton's house, where the door is already open and welcoming.

There's something so comforting about Milton's house. His mom walked out on their family too, so he and I have this bond that I don't have with the other guys. Mr. Krupnick (AKA Just-call-me-Dave) is doing his best with being a single parent, and he's doing pretty good.

"Oh hello, Kim." Dave smiles and gestures me upstairs. "Milton's upstairs."

"Thanks." I walk up the stairs and into the game room. There he is, Milton.

"There you are. Jack told me he came with you. That's good, because I need another person's advice."

"Advice on what?" I sigh.

"On whether you need the disaster package or not."

I roll my eyes. "Milton, please tell me what the hell the disaster package is."

"Mika. And there she is!"

I turn around and see Jerry and Mika walking through the door hand-in-hand. "Yo, what's up, Kim?"

Mika smiles sweetly. "Hello, Kim." she says, her accent ringing through the words.

"Hey Mika," I reply, slightly annoyed. "So you're here to make me look pretty?"

"Oh, Kim." She answers, disentangling herself from Jerry. "You are pretty. We just need to pronounce it more."

That's the second time in an hour that someone's told me I was pretty. Did everyone's water get poisoned or something?

I don't have low self esteem or anything. It's just that living with someone like Claire has made my realize that while I have some pretty qualities about me, I'm not pageant material. So Mika and Jack telling me I was pretty was kind of a big deal for me.

I looked at Milton, who was crushing over a girl that didn't know he existed. He and I had been friend for a long time, and I owed him a lot.

I held up the floral shorts I had picked out from Swoon. "Would these work for any outfit ideas?"

Mika squealed. "Kim, those are perfect! Shorts are great if you don't want to completely break away from baggy t-shirts. But a good outfit isn't all that you need if you want to be a Popular. It's about personality and makeup too."

She turned to the boys. "Guys, you can stay here. Kim and I will be right back." She grabbed my arm and marched me to the bathroom.

"First hair. I'll tie it back so we can see your face." She picked up a hair tie and pulled my hair into a ponytail.

"We'll come back to that later. Next is face and makeup. You already have good clear skin, so we don't need foundation. You could use some concealer though. I have one in exactly your skin shade." She picked up a stick looking thing, gave it a shake, and twisted it open. "I'll just apply this to any and all blemishes you have." She pressed the brush to my skin.

I flinched at the sensation. "It's cold!" I whined. She chuckled, but continued blending it in.

"Next is the eyes. I'll just add some black eyeliner-"She picked up another stick-thingy. "-and a little mascara." She did just that.

"And last, the lips. Some pink tinted lipbalm will keep your lips soft and at the same time colored." She picked up a tube of lipbalm, spread it on my lips, and blotted it with a napkin. "Make up: done!"

Mika pulled my hair out of the ponytail. "I'll lightly curl your hair so it'll look wavy." She took a few strands of my hair, wrapped it around the cylinder, and let it go after 10 seconds. This continued on until all of my hair was done, looking wavy and beautiful.

"Now for the moment we've been waiting for. The clothes." She rummaged through her bag. Finally, she stood up and handed me a baggy beige t-shirt and a pair of brown cowboy boots.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

I walked back into the game room. The guys are playing call of duty.

"A-hem" I clear my throat. Jack is the the first one that notices me. He turns around and his jaw almost collides with the floor.

"Kim! Y-you look...wow." He stumbles through his words and elbows Jerry and Milton, who turn around and have similar reactions.

"You likey?" I ask teasingly. I'm smiling so hard it probably looks like I'm in pain.

Milton wakes up from his stupor and stokes his chin thoughtfully. "I'd say you're about ready for school."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kickin' It.**

I'm sorry to say that I kind of fell on my face for this chapter. It turns out that I did have a fever last wednesday and while I feel a lot better, I'm still in the stage of recovery.

I got a couple of reviews asking about where's the Kick and my reply to that: Patience, grasshopper(s). The Kick will come. In the mean time, I hope you can salvage whatever Kick was in this pitiful chapter.

And of course, Don't forget to review!

-Darcy


	7. Phone Bills & Reheated Pizza

When I open the door to our apartment, Mother's standing there looking very unhappy.

"Kimberly, where were-" she takes a look at my appearance. "What happened to you?"

I smile and do a little twirl. "Do you like it? My friend Mika showed me how to look my best."

She does a full body scan, but her scowl is still on her face. "You look okay."

My smile falters. Only okay?

Alright, I'll admit it. One of the reasons I agreed to the stupid makeover was so Mother might like me better if I were more pretty, as shallow as that sounds. But it looks like Claire's still her favorite.

I walk past her, trying to get away from the lecture I know is coming but I don't move fast enough. "Kimberly, we need to have a chat."

"Aww, Mother.." I whine. "I tried to call home but no one was picking up the phone."

She gets a weird look on her face, but it's only there for a moment and her expression goes back to being angry. "That doesn't matter. You could have called my cell or Claire's and told us."

I want to argue, but it's true. I could have called her cell phone, but I just went to Milton's. "I'll call again next time," I mumble.

I'm about to make a retreat when Mother calls me back. "Oh, and Kim," she pauses for a second. "You won't be able to make anymore calls to the home phone."

I turn around to face her. "Why not?"

She smiles apologetically. "I... didn't pay the phone bill on time," she answers sheepishly.

"What?!"

Mother sighs and flops down on the sofa. "Pageants cost money, and I borrowed some from our phone bill payment to pay for the last pageant."

"Mother, these pageants will put us into bankruptcy! We have to stop them!"

"Nonsense," Mother scoffs. "It's just one time. Besides, I'm setting up an appointment with the bank to request for a loan. it's going to be okay."

I know for a fact that it's not going to be okay. "I didn't want to do this but," I sigh, drawing up my last card. "If you tell me before doing so, you can borrow some money from my account."

That's the money I've been saving up since I got the job at Swoon. That's the money that'll send me to college. I really, _really_, didn't want to so that.

Thankfully, Mother shakes her head. "Oh, no Kim, there's no need for that."

What she's saying is good, but Mother has a light in her eye that only turns on when she's planning something. Something that'll probably end up like the time when she decided to dye her hair purple: bad.

I cautiously make my way to the bathroom, where I get ready to take a shower. I take a long look at myself in the mirror.

I do look good, I decide. No matter what Mother thinks.

After a quick shower I go over to the kitchen to cook dinner. And by cook, I mean reheat pizza from yesterday. Dad was the one who cooked in the family, but because he left, we basically survive on takeout.

I'm trying to learn how to cook because if we keep up with the diet that we have now, we would get spots in the Burgess Book of World Recoeds for the heaviest group of girls. And that's not good.

But at the moment I don't feel like doing anything fancy right now. I'm still thinking about the phone bill. Pageants cost quite a lot, and if Mother is taking money we save up to pay the bills then that means we aren't doing so well with money.

I finish up dinner and head over to bed. It's then that I realize that I haven't seen neither hide nor lick of Claire. I get out of bed and walk into Mother's bedroom, where she's talking on the phone with someone. She holds up a finger in the universal sign of _Wait a minute_.

After she hangs up, I walk up to her. "Where's Claire?"

"Oh didn't I tell you? She's going to be late."

"Did she tell you that?"

Mother gives me a pointed look. "If you mean that she called before leaving then yes, she did."

Just then the buzzer sounds, signaling that someone's downstairs and waiting for us. That can only be Claire.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a knock is heard on the door. Mother gets out of bed and walks to the door, me following her like a lost puppy.

Mother opens it and smiles at Claire. "Hello, doll."

Claire stumbles in. Mother, of course, is blind to her messed up hair, kiss-swollen lips, and the two hickeys on her neck.

Mother turns to me. "Kim, go get some food for Claire. I have a headache, so I'll be hitting the sack right away."

With that, she marched Into her bedroom. Once I was sure she was safely out of earshot, I turned on Claire.

"Hot date with Monty?" I smirk. Monty was her boyfriend, a muscular nineteen year old guy that went to Swathmore with her. I've only seen him once or twice before, but he seemed like an okay guy. Though his eyes did travel a bit too much for my liking.

But, whatever. Claire can date whoever she wants to date. She's never held on to a relationship for very long, so I'm actually surprised that it's been two months. Congrats.

She groans and limps her way over to the bathroom. "If Mother finds out, I am doomed. She'll probably casterate the poor guy."

"That 'poor guy' better have been using condoms," I threaten.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," she replies smugly as she closes the door. I can hear the shower starting to turn.

I sigh and head back to the kitchen where I pop the pizza into the microwave for Claire. Honestly, I know for a fact that Claire's not a slut. She never was. But I think Monty's changed her, and not for the better. I may make fun of her now, but I'm seriously worried that she'll have Miley Cyrus Syndrome. Pretty soon, she'll be walking down Main Street looking like a hooker.

I shake that image out of my head. Claire may not act it sometimes, but she's seventeen, like me. She can be a responsible adult too. I just hope she'll wise up, and fast.

The microwave beeps, and I take out the pizza. While it's cooling off, I let my thought wander, and suddenly I'm not thinking about Claire anymore. I'm thinking of Jack.

What was with him telling me he thought I was pretty? And that was before I got the fantabulous makeover. I've always figured our romantic interests for each other to be one-sided. And with Donna moving away...

I swear, I'm going to drive myself insane.

"Hellooo?" I'm snapped out of my thoughts when Claire snaps her fingers in my face. "Earth to martian."

I blink a few times. "Oh, yeah," I point to the pizza sitting on the table. "Dinner's ready. You don't have to be introduced to the table."

She sticks her tongue out at me and half walks, half limps to the table. I notice that the marks on her neck have mysteriously disappeared.

After she sits down, Claire notices my glance and she smiles.

"A good foundation can hide all hickeys," she advises. "Not that you'll have any."

I smirk. "Maybe that'll change tomorrow."

She snorts into her pepperoni. "Oh please. No amount of makeup can change _you._

"I know karate. I could beat you up."

"You could, but you wouldn't."

"Pray tell, and why wouldn't I."

"Because I could rat you out to Mother." She finishes, and that's that.

I huff and make my way to the bathroom. "I'm going to bed."

I'll show her! Tomorrow morning, her ass is mine.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It.**

Yo yo yo! ...I'm not sure why I did that. But I do know one thing: I won't be able to update on Wednesdays anymore. Why you may ask? Because I have school now. School literally starts tomorrow. I mean, who does that? Start school in the middle of the week?

What I mean to say is, I'll probably start uploading chapters on Saturdays or Sundays. In case you didn't get that:

**I WILL BE UPLOADING NEW CHAPTERS ON THE WEEKENDS.**

That got your attention, didn't it? c;

And...yeah. That's pretty much it. Oh, wait. I nearly forgot something.

Don't forget to review!

Smooches-xx

-Darcy


	8. Makeup Fails & Showcasing Your Beauty

The next moring, I woke up fifteen minutes early to get ready. Walking to the bathroom, I mentally reviewed the notes I had taken whilst Mika was Makeover-ing me up.I was confidant that I could do this.

Until I saw all the little bottles and tubes and cans she let me borrow.

Okay deep breath, I told myself. Let's start with something I can work with. Like... curling my hair!

And then I picked up the wand. Mika said I had to plug it in and wait for it to heat up before I can use it. So of course the first time I used it I burned my finger.

Thereby dropping the wand out of reflex and letting it fall on _my foot_.

I quickly ran my fingers and foot under cold water while giving the damned curling wand a death glare. After making sure I was generally okay after that little episode, I yanked out the plug for the stupid thing.

If this was what it took to be pretty, count me out!

I was just about to pack up all the supplies and things and throw it out the window when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Milton:

_Hey. Just wanted to thank you for all that you're doing for me. I know this whole thing is out of you comfort zone but the fact that you're stil doing it makes me so happy. You're a true friend._

I melted. Milton was a nerdy kid, complete with pocket protracter, but he had been one of my best friends since middle school. He helped me through thick and thin, and was probably my best friend after Jack. So having an actual crush was serious stuff, and I wanted to help him as much as I can. Besides, I owed him. He helped me get through Eddie's death.

I glanced back at the eyeshadows and whatnot. There was no way I could do this on my own. I was going to need some help.

I looked back at my phone and searched through the contacts for a certain Hakmaki girl.

"Hello, Mika?" I called.

"Kim, what is it?" She sounded sleepy. I looked at the clock. 6:07. No highschool student should be up at this time.

"Sorry it's so early, but it's kind of an emergency. You know how you showed me all that beauty stuff yesterday?"

"Uh-Huh."

"I stink at it. Do you think you can find someway to come and do my makeup and stuff?"

Suddenly she seemed wide awake. "Oh, Kim, I would be happy to come over! But I think it would be better if you came here."

"Yeah, sure. Can I come, like, now?"

"Of course!" She said a quick good-bye and hung up.

After quickly scribbling down a note, I grabbed my skateboard and hurried to my new friend's house.

In the middle of the night.

In my pajamas.

This was going to be good.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Mika was up and about by the time I reached her house (she had texted me the address on my way here).

"So," I say, trying to make polite conversation. "You're staying with your uncle?"

"Uncle Phil, yes." She said while dragging me to what I assumed was her room.

"How is he?" I asked awkwardly. "Like, I've met him a couple of times and he seems pretty-"

"Eccentric? Crazy? Completly off his rocker?" Mika laughs. "Yeah, but he's my family and I love him to bits and pieces."

Finally,we reached her room. I was expecting a room filled with all things pink, but was pleasantly surprised by the black, white, and teal room. She sat me on her bed and quietly studied me with the expertise of a professional makeup artist.

"Is that what you want to be?" I ask suddenly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Mika shoots me a confused look.

"A makeup artist. Is that what you want to do?"

She smiles shyly. "Well... yes, it is. But my Uncle wants me to be something else, like a doctor or a lawyer. I just don't think that it's right for me though."

"Well don't worry." I reassure. "As long as you don't give up your goal, I'm sure you can be a fantastic makeup artist."

She smiles again, a blinding white smile full of happiness and hope. "Thank you, Kim. With you as my fist Client, I'm sure I will succeed. No tell me about what happened when you tried to put it on."

So I repeat what happened in the morning, showing her the burns on my fingers and foot. She frowns all while listening, and nods once in a while. After i'm finished, she smiles gently at me.

"Kim, the reason I want to be a makeup artist is because I think of makeup as a stepping stool for showing your inner beauty to the world." She tells me. "You have seen those girls that wear so much makeup they look like clowns right? The are showing their inner beauty through makeup-and that beauty is not very beautiful! But I can tell that you Kim, are very beautiful on the inside. That's why you had such a great end result the last time I did your makeup. When you tried, you where trying too hard to be like one of your-what do you call them?-populars. They're inner beauty is lacking, so my imitating them, you're only hurting yourself. And I know it sound cliche but always be yourself. An original is always worth more than a copy."

I was struck speechless by Mika's lecture. It was the most anyone other than my dad had ever complimented me. I felt myself tearing up.

"Okay, Mika." I agreed. "Let my inner beauty shine."

* * *

**I Do Not Own Kickin' It.**

AND I'M BAAAAACKK! Sorry about the wait, I had school and...

I'm not going to make excuses.

The main thing is, I am proud of this chapter. I spent about minutes working on it, and I have to say, it maybe one of the shorter chapters, but I LOVE IT. I feel like this has so much meaning and I tried to put more humor in it and... I'm proud of it.

Sorry about the shortness and the wait, but I hope the chapter makes up for it.

As always, don't forget to review!

-Darcy


	9. More Reactions & New Me

Mika hand me a straightener. She say's it's easier to use, so I give it a try. And guess what? She was right! I didn't burn myself.

While I bask in the glory of my small victory against machine, Mika gets to work on my face. It's basically the same look as yesterday's, nut with a bit more eyeliner, in a shape that Mika calls a "cat-eye." I don't think that's an appropriate name. Even when I look in the mirror, I don't see a resemblance to my eye and that of a feline's.

Since my wardrobe still mainly consists of gross clothes, I basically borrow everything in my outfit from Mika. I feel bad about it until Mika smirks and says that those were all her old clothes from when she was in the eighth grade. I notice for the first time that, though she has a pixie-like heart shaped face, she is rather tall. Taller than me at least. Anyway, she donates, like, half of the clothes she was giving to a thrift shop to me.

Today's outfit isn't quite as loose and flowy as yesterday's, but ti's still kind of cute, but with an edgy feel. It features black crocheted shorts, a white tank with a skull design on it tucked into the shorts, a camo-colored vest, and amazing brown combat boots.

Even though the outfit is a huge stunner, I ask Mika bout the accesories. She looks shocked at first, but the starts laughing. She digs through her dresser until she holds up a set of bronze rings.

"These were too small for me, but how about you try them on?" She askes. I grab the packet and slip my finger through one of them.

A little tight, but it could work. I love rings, and I always have. It kind of surprises me how I've been denying myself the happiness of wearing them.

I shoulder the plastic bag filled with all the clothes Mika donated to me. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She smiles. "Trust me Kim. I do know. But of course, you are welcome."

I tiptoe out of her house. The floorboards squeak so much that I though for sure I'm going to be busted. But I make it out of the house without waking up Mika's uncle. Apparently Phil's a very heavy sleeper.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~::~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

By the time I reach my apartment, it's 7:00. School starts at 7:30 so I have to hurry if I want to make it.

After dropping the bag of clothes in my room, I walk to the kitchen. Claire in there, leisurely eating her cereal. Swathmore doesn't start until 8:00, so she still has a little time. Mother's no where to be seen though. When I arrive, Claire nearly chokes on her milk. I smile smugly, but say nothing as I grab an apple and walk out the door.

I ride my skateboard to school, like I do everyday. A lot of kids do, actually. One example would be the guy waiting for me at the stoplight.

I was actually one of the first people to meet Brody. He moved into the flat above mine, and I was one of the four teenagers who came with a welcoming basket. I don't know why we do that everytime someone new moves in. Anyway, Brody was a little freaked out, but I explained the whole thing to him. He was cool about it, but his parents we not. They made the Welcoming Commitee stay and clean up the place. I have never looked at shag carpeting the same way after that.

Anyway, Brody is waiting for me at the edge of the street. When I near him, I call out his name. "Brody!"

He turns around and smiles as I park near him. "I'm sorry, but, do I know you?" He askes, puzzled.

"It's me!" I grin. "Kim!"

His mouth gapes open and I can literally _see_ him do a double take. "KIM?"

I mount my skateboard again when the light flashed green. "Yup," I answer simply, popping the P.

He's still in shock. It takes him about three minutes before he can formulate his thoughts. "But, you-I mean no offence,but-"

"No, I get it. YOu weren't there yesterday for the grand reveal." I tell him about the plan for Milton and Julie.

His responce? "Well, shit."

I glance at him, eyebrows raised. And nearly hit a pedestrian. "What do you mean 'shit?'"

"Kim, boys are going to be all over you. This change maybe for Milton, but he's not going to be the only one catching a high school sweetheart."

I snort as I easily manuver a curve in the sidewalk. "Oh, please, Brody. A little bit of mascara won't change how guys feel about me. Besides, what guy is interested in me?"

"Jack," His answer comes out swift and sharp. "When I was talking to him before, I asked him which he prefered: Brunettes or Blondes. He said blondes. I reminded him the Donna wasn't blonde. He just scowled at me and stared at the floor."

I nearly collapse from this new information. Blondes? I have blonde hair. But then again, so do plenty of other girls. Maybe he's not talking about me. But if it's not me he's talking about, why didn't he tell me before?

I don't have time to think about it much, because we arrive at the front of Seaford High. I wave a good-bye to Brody. His classes start in Building B.

I set my shoulders, and walk through the door.

:~:~:~:~:~:~::~:~:~:~:~:~:

The never-ending chatter that fills the halls silences for the first time in high school history. I feel the stare of hundreds of teenage kids as I walk to my locker. I hear tidbits of whispers, all about me.

"Is that-" "No, it can't be." "That's Kim Crawford!" "But I thought she wasn't-" "Well, apparently she is." "Damn."

Bentley Ortiz (Both he and his younger sister ((Mercedes)) are named after cars) is waiting at my locker. "Hey Kim."

Bentley two days ago wouldn't even look at me. Bentley today is blatently checking me out.

I smile back. "Hello, Bentley. Could you please move? I have to get to my locker."

"Oh, right." He shuffles out of the way and I notice his eyes drop a little lower than my neck. I feel like punching him, but then I remember that I have to become a popular for Milton. Or is it for Julie? For Julie and Milton. I throw my bag in my locker and take out a binder and a textbook needed for Trig.

"Um, Kim?" Bentley asks after I slam my locker door shut. "Stacy Wiseman's having a party tomorrow. You wanna come with?"

I internally cringe at his bad grammar. Jack would never use grammar like that.

And then, I get tired of it. Yes, Jack's been giving me more attention in the past few days that he has in two _years_ but, is it so healthy to pine over a guy that I can't even have? Donna may be moving sooner or later, but Jack's a well sought after guy. There are so many other woman to choose from. I need to be happy with what I have: a friendship with the guy, instead of feeling sorry for myself 24/7.

No, I'm not suddenly and completely over him. I still have a huge crush on him. I'm just learning to focus on more things than Jack Jack JACK all the time.

So I turn to Bentey, smile, and say, "It's a date."

What would Jack think?

STOP IT, KIM.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It. **

Phew! Barely made it this time. Do ya like it?

I'm not totally happy with how it turned out, but I'm pretty happy with the last chapter. I think it sums up trying to, little by little, get over a crush.

But don't worry, my fellow die-hard Kick shippers! I said this was going to be a Kick story, and so it will be! I'm just layering on the drama...!

You know the rule, don't forget to review!

Kisses xx!

-Darcy


	10. Stacy's Par-tay & Julie

Say what you like about Stacey Wiseman, but the girl knows, how to throw a party. At least, from what I can see.

Bentley picked me up from my apartment complex. He kissed my cheek and led me to his cherry red (take a good guess) Bentley. He opened the door like a real gentleman and smiled cheekily.

I tugged on the stands of hair that fell across my face. Because I has little-to-no idea on how to do my hair, I had just scraped my hair into a messy bun and let a few sections loose a few sections of it to frame my face. I didn't put on any special makeup, just recycled what I had worn for the school. The teal dress I was wearing was yet another one of Mika's hand-me-downs and I had blackmailed Claire int letting me borrow her black balleringa flats. She was still pretty miffed about me actually being kind of pretty, and threatening to tell Mother about all her little dates with Monty probably didn't help her mood.

Actually, Bentley had asked about Claire. "Isn't this where Claire lives? Like, that redheaded chick from Swathmore?"

"Yeah, I answered, looking at him from the passenger's seat. Sitting there would probably be the closest I'll ever get to actually owning a luxuary car. "She's my twin sister."

"Twins?" he snorted.

"I get that a lot." I paused before asking. "How do you know that, anyway?"

He didn't meet my eyes. "No idea."

And that's how I got to Wildberry Estates, the home of many of the rich, snotty kids who had the money but didn't have the intellect to get into Swathmore.

Stacey goes arond making sure that every was having a good time. I smile and nod as sincerely as I can.

But I'm actually misrable.

What's the point of even going to a dang party if your wonderful date won't even let you walk to the punch bowl by yourself? Not that I'll actually drink any of that stuff. You can smell the alcohol from a room away.

Bentley's grip om me is tighter that a straightjacket. I have to readjust his creeping hand away from lower-than-my-waist area every five minutes. I glare at him everytime I do, my her just winks and gives me that cheeky smile.

Oh, I can probably take him out in less that ten seconds. Don't forget-I am a black belt in karate. But this is my first big social event, and this is my first time being the date of one of the most popular guys in the school. There's a lot of pressure on me not to mess this up.

But if I catch him eyeing my neckline one more time...

After a few more minutes of fake smiles and utter boredom, I find salvation in Donna Tobin and Jack Brewer.

Donna is obviously a popular, even if the guy she's dating hangs with us lesser folk. But I still can't get out interaction last Sunday out of my head. She seemed so sweet and vulnerable and...real. Not like the Donna Tobin I've sterotyped in my head. I guess I portrayed her as an evil witch lady just because of the boy she was with.

And, her grandfather's about to go. She needs all the real friends she can get.

"Hey Kim!" She smiles and gestures me over. I do an awkward bump-and-shuffle walk all the way to her with Bentley clinging to me. I smile at Jack, who gives me a half smirk. He always knew me more than anyone else, and though my grins have kept Stacey out of my way, Jack can see right through my façade. I'M DYING OVER HERE.

"Hi, Donna," I answer. "Great party, isn't it?"

"I suppose." She shrugs. She's wearing a swishy black dress with black heals and a black headband resting on top her head. Obviously, she's already in mourning. "Stacey's party's are usually more lively than this. But it's probably better than I could have ever done my self, am I right?"

"Yeah, totally." I try to imagine all of these people (there are about 250) crammed into my dinky apartment. The result? Abosolute chaos and a sudden drop in our wine storage. Seriously. Who knew that a group of teenagers could drink so much liquor?

I turn to Bentley, who raises an eyebrow at me. I suppose he's wondering since when have Donna Tobin, one of the coolest girls in school, and I have been buddies. Actually, I have been too. But it's surprisingly easy to talk to Donna. She's just another person.

"I'll be with those two," I inform him, and disentangle myself away from him before he can complain.

Jack laughs once we're out of earshot of him. "He was clinging to you like a puppy."

"A seriously perverted puppy," I grumble. Donna laughs appreciativly.

Jack opened his mouth to say something, probably another smart-aleck comment on my choice of men when Bentley comes up to him.

"How's about letting our dates that are beautiful chit-chat while we talk?" He says, grabbing Jack's shoulders and redirecting him away from us.

"How's about we work on your grammar?" I hear Jack retort before he saunters away.

Donna turns to me again. Her smile has melted off her face, and I realize I wasn't the only person wearing a façade tonight. Her blue-gray eyes fill with tears.

"How's your grandfather?" I whisper to her. The stero booms loudly, but I think she can hear.

"Not well," she replies quietly. "I'm glad I got a chance to talk to you privatly."

I nod, and she continues. "I want to i-invite you t-to my grandfather's f-f-fu-funeral."

She's quiely sobbing now, and I think of how hard this must be for her. Not only will she be losing her grandfather, but she'll be moving away from the people that's she's known for all her life. I wouldn't be able to dream about it without waking up in a cold sweat.

She laughs sadly and wipes her eyes. There's no smudging of any sort, so that means she wasn't wearing any makeup. I realize, once again, how incedibly pretty she is.

"Enough about me." She puts on a brave smile, but her red eyes give her away. "Jack told me about the whole plan for your friend Milton. I can introduce Julie to you if you want."

My eyes widen. I nearly forgot about how this was originally all for Milton. I suddnely feel selfish. It's been two days since I've gotten my makeover and I haven't done squate for Julie and Milton. So I agree, and I follow her.

I make a quick stop at the punch table and grab a large piece of cake. Hopefully, it's not spiked too.

"Careful there," says a feminine voice behind me. "That piece of cake there had approximately 47 grams of sugar. If you eat it, you'll be bouncing off the walls for hours."

I whirl around and face the girl. "How do you know that?"

She giggles. "'Cause I just had, like, 12 pieces. I'm Julie."

Ah. So this is the infamous Julie. Donna comes up behind me and confirms it. "I see you met Julie without my help. I have to go. Jack's probably looking for me."

She waves and walks away. I turn back toward Julie. "I'm Kim. Nice meeting you."

"It was wonderful to meet you at last. There are so many school rumors, but I yet to see you in person. I see they were not exagerating your beauty." She answers. I blush at the compliment.

"I know it's not the greatest time right now to talk, so how about we chat some more tomorrow after school at the mall food court?" I offer. I only met her now, and I want to get to know her first before I launch the whole Milton-likes-you thing at her.

The brunette smiles and oustreches her hand. "Absolutley."

We shake on it. This is the start of plan Millie (or Jilton?)

* * *

**I do not own Kickin' It.**

Guess who broke her promise in uploading on the weekend? *Raises hand*

So sorry guys. To make up for it, I started putting more of the drama and the tension and etc. in the chapter. I also want to formally (or informally, depends on the way you look at it) thank all the absolutley fantastic review I get. You guys are all rockstars.

Also, there's a reference of another one of my favorite shows in this passage somewhere. If you find it, write it in a review! I'm actually planning to write something for that fandom, so if a lot of you like it... who knows!

But that'll definatly be after I finish this story. I couldn't do two stories at once.

Anyways, don't forget to review!

-Darcy


	11. Conficts & Kisses

I woke up unexpectedly early the day after the party, but I felt wide awake. Claire was still snoring away, as usual. That girl really needs her beauty sleep.

Haha, inside joke.

But anyways, I decided to go ahead and get ready, despite the fact that it was, what, 6:45? I'd finally figured out how to work the hair curler without burning myself, so I was eager to show my skills.

That being said, as I looked through Mika's donation bag, I realized one thing. I craved comfort over style.

I mean, yes, it's nice to look good, but some of the clothes I'd worn the past week weren't all that...cozy. Take the teal dress I wore to the party. That thing was way too short and had a neckline deep enough to turn my face red when I think about it.

With that being said, I walk back to my closet and chose one of my all time favorite oversized sweatshirts: a giant gray one that had a gold King Tutankhamen on it, the one I had gotten from a visit to the San Diego Natural History Museum, one of the many field trips I'd been on with the Wasabi Warriors.

Oh, the memories we share.

I pull together the look with a pair of distressed blue jeans and flats.

Hey, who says feeling good can't look good?

After curling my hair and pulling it into a half ponytail, I stare at my face.

Due to all the makeup I've forced on my skin, it's been having a few breakouts recently. I rarely ever got the when I was the before picture. I've actually been trying to lessen the amount of makeup I cake on my face, but more pimples mean more more makeup which in turn means more pimples. it's a hard cycle to break from.

But I still reapply my disguise.

I'm just about done when I notice a pink Post-It note on the corner of the bathroom mirror.

_Kim_,

_If you are reading this, we need to talk. Meet me at Falafel Phil's after your work ends._

_Claire_

I stare at the note for a few seconds before I grab my phone a set a reminder for the meeting.

She's right. We've been skirting around each other, giving each other the cold shoulder. If we want to coexist, then we have to solve our differences.

~:~:~:~:~:~

Now there are two people who have been avoiding me. Jack's not making eye contact.

What happened? I mean, even when I started developing feeling for him, I worked super hard to keep our easy friendship going. It's worked well, until now. Even when I pass him a chocolate bar during lunch, he doesn't accept it. And that boy can eat a lot of chocolate.

I wish Bentley would follow Jack's example. That guy's been after me all day! I finally had to awkwardly tell him that I was not interested and the chance of me getting back together with him was slimmer than the chance of hell freezing over. He just grinned that annoying cheeky grin and winked.

"Maybe next time, eh?"

My God, and I thought he couldn't be any more of a bastard.

By the time I get to the mall, I'm tired, confused, and in desperate need of a latte.

I tell Mr. Taylor I might be a little late, and though he grumbled a little, he told me I could have the day off if I stepped into the office for just a quick second.

I walk in nervously. Mr. Taylor likes his space, so he doesn't allow many people into his office. I praying that I'm not going to be fired.

"Congratulations, Kim!" he booms, in a voice so loud I jump.

"You've been here for two years. Here's a little thank you present from me for staying with us for so long.

He then hand me a check for $200.

**$200**.

I march out of the store in a daze. I usually have to wait until the end of the week till I get some money but...

GO SHORTY! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

I run to where an ATM Machine stands, on the corner of Bold Beats and Falafel Franco's. I wave to Brody, who is manning the register at Bold Beats, as I pass him. He calls me forward.

"Hey Kim," he says, almost nervously. "I have to admit something to you."

I raise an eyebrow, and motion for him to go on.

"I'm kinda sorta goingoutwithkira," he mumbles that last bit, but I can understand what he's saying.

"You WHAT?!" I scream. He shushes me nervously, and I glance at the customers who are staring at the two of us. One mother hurriedly pushes her stroller out the door. Brody starts to give me a dirty look, but it falls shorts once he notices mine.

"What do you mean you're going out with Kira?" I ask again.

He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, a nervous habit he picked up from Jack. "Look Kim, I know that you and Kira don't have the best track record, but she's actually a really sweet girl. She just doesn't know how to make friends. I know she's wanted to actually meet you for some time now, it's just that she kind of insecure and-"

"How long have you been going out with her?" I ask quietly.

Brody opens his mouth to defend himself, but instead, he sighs again. "Two months."

I nod. "Brody, I'm not mad that you are going out with Kira. You can do whatever you like, and you don't have to get approval from us. But I am upset that you've been lying to us the entire time. We probably would have been okay with it. It hurts that you don't trust us, your friends."

I wave goodbye sadly, and push out the door. Just then, I get a text from Jerry. "Call me."

Typical Jerry. Only he would sent a text like that. In fact, I almost smile at his antics, but just then I notice Kira, Heather, and Mercedes Ortiz, Bentley's younger sister. Kira notices me too, and she jerks her thumb to me and makes an offensive face, probably talking about how fat I am because I eat McDonalds for lunch once in a while. Mercedes laughs, but Heather smiles apologetically at me.

Yeah, and this is the insecure, sweet girl that Brody's dating.

I call Jerry as requested. He picks up first ring.

"Kim you gotta help me!" he screeches frantically. "I made a huge mistake and I have to figure out how to make it better KIM HELP ME!"

"Jerry what's going on?" I ask. Jerry had his serious episodes before, but now he sounds downright frantic. "Calm down, bro, and tell me what's going on."

He takes a deep breath. "It's Mika. Well, no, it's not Mika. It's me. I cheated on her."

The bomb drops. All is silent for three second. Then I ruin it.

"YOU WHAT?!" I scream, for the second time today.

"I know, I know, I'm an idiot!" he moans. "But see, it wasn't all my fault. Some of it was Sue Ling's fault too! She's a chick that goes to Swathmore and she was visiting her sister, Mae something-or-the-other and she noticed me and pushed me into the supply closet and started kissing me out of nowhere. Of course, Mika came in right at that moment. But you know what hurt me most? Her expression. It wasn't a 'I'm shocked you did this you horrible boyfriend' look. It was more of a "I knew you were too good to be true look.'"

I shake me head. "Jerry, you need to call Mika immediately. Tell her what you just told me. Or if you want it to be even more heartfelt and sincere, go to her house. Like, now. GO JERRY."

He still hadn't hung up. It was like he had lost all feeling. He was numb.

I ended the call instead, hoping he got the point. Right, what was I doing? Oh yeah, cashing in my $200 into my college fund.

Finally, I'm standing in front of the ATM machine. The transaction takes forever, much to my annoyance. After a while, it asks me for the check. I feed it in. Bold, black letters pop out the screen.

**THANK YOU FOR YOU BUSINESS. THE TOTAL MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT IS $1,527.00**

Wait, what? I tap on the screen to look at the total amount again, sure there must be a mistake, but no. The number's still the same as it was a moment ago.

That doesn't just happen. Last Sunday, payday, I had around 16 thousand dollars. $2,000 doesn't just disappear like that.

"Is something wrong, miss?" a young-ish man looms over me. He's in a suit, which looks strange against the casual background of the mall.

I nod, and step aside. He taps the screen a few times, then frowns. "What seems to be the problem, Miss? There's nothing wrong with the system."

"I had at least $3,000 in here last Sunday. I haven't made any withdrawals and I haven't given permission for anyone else to have, either."

The guy frowns, does some more quick tapping, and turns to me again.

"Ma'am, it says here that, due to your account being a dual transfer account, money can be withdrawn by only your hands, assuming you're Kimberly Crawford-" insert involuntary flince here"-and the hands of a Ms. Shannon Henderson."

Shannon Henderson?

Mother?!

"When was the last transaction date?" I ask, hoping the hurt and anger in my voice doesn't show.

"Says here that the last withdrawl date was on Monday, at 1:34 PM. That all, sweetheart?" he drawls, seeming to have lost intrest in my case.

"Thanks," I throw over my shoulder, already walking towards the parking lot, where my trusty green pickup truck stands, majestic and only slightly scarred.

I stick the key in and twist it, expecting to hear the roar of the engine. Instead, I get a feeble whine. I try again, but still nothing.

"No, no no!" I moan, flopping my head onto the steering wheel. _Of course_ it wouldn't work today, just when I need it.

Suddenly, I remember my appointment with Julie. Grabbing my phone, I text an apology to her while simultaneously getting out and walking to the front of the car.

Here's a fun fact: I have no idea how to fix a problem when it comes to cars.

That's whay, when I popped open the hood, all that I saw were a bunch of wires and metal contraptions.

Crap.

I'm saved by a person with fantastically soft brown hair.

"Kim?" Jack walks up to me and stares at me staring hopelessly at the jumble of...things that were required to make my car start up.

"Erm, my car's not starting up," I say. All day today, he hasn't said anything to me, and now he starts? What is wrong with him? What did I do to desrve this torture?

"Well, you can't just stand there," he states. "Get in my car, and I'll take you where you need to go."

I look up at him. He has a sincere expression on his face, and he looks almost eager to take me somewhere. THIS is the Jack that I know and love.

And suddenly, I'm leaning in, and he's leaning in too and we meet. Our lips touch. He held me firmly at the waist and I threw my arms around his neck.

You know how they say that when you kiss the man of your dreams, you feel a tingle running through your body.

They lied.

When we kiss, I could feel fireworks. Forget simple sparks, we were lightning. It was perfect.

We pulled apart; I wasn't sure what to do. Was I terrible, was it awful? But then he smiles, a lazy, sweet, reassuring smile, so much better than Bentley's cheeky smirk. I think I giggle a little (giggle! See what this guy did to me?) bit.

Even though we just had an immpossibly tender moment earlier, and even before that I was worrying my ass of for Brody and Jerry and my savings account, I can't help but smile. I just kissed Jack.

Jack just kissed me.

My thoughts flit to Donna for a second, but I push that though out of my mind. I'd have to be blind not to notice the knowing glances she's given me and Jack this past week.

Jack squats down, offering me a piggyback ride. I smile and climb on.

"Let's go, Superman," I laugh. "Our first adventure together awaits."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own...oh, you get it already. **

Yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Yes, I'm humbly sorry that I took, like, a month with this chapter. But it's extra long, and features a lot of conflict and romance! Hope I did the kiss scene justice. What do you guys think?

I would also like to congradulate:

**lovereading2**

**TheSevenJewels**

for their correct guesses in the previous chapter's LAB RATS reference. Maybe I'll wait a bit with that story.

Anyway, thank you guys so much for all your love and support. I definitely couldn't have done it without your help.

-Darcy


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